Cushioned car coupler support and positioning device



4 Shets-Sheet 1 K. E. ZEIDLER CUSHIONED CAR COUPLER SUPPORT AND POSITIONING DEVICE July 4, 1950 Filed Dec. 7. 1946 JNVENTOR. Elf/ EZace/j BY July 4, 1950 K. E. ZEIDLER 2,513,834

, cUsHroNED CAR coUPLER SUPPORT AND PosITIoNING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 7. 1946 INVENTOR.

4 Sheets-Sheet 3 July 4, 1950 K. E. zElDLER cusHroNEn CAR coUPLER SUPPORT AND PosITIoNING DEVICE Filed Dec. 7, 194e K. E. zr-:IDLR cusHIoNED CAR coUPLER SUPPORT AND PosITIoNING DEVICE July 4, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 7, 1946 lmwlMmllllUwwmH Patented July 4, 1950 e: #Kl-uff IZei'dlei', @Chicagmllleassignmto gstandard RailwayfEquipments Manufactuxqing--om panifhiagogflll., a corpurationohnelaware v v svoxaims. l

ThisL invention relates :tofmeans `--Isovsupport a 'Y longitudinally, laterally eanduverticall Ymovable railway car-coupler upon a-,QpartXedI-,toftheltcar yby a combination of` rollers.andf'associatedstruclture so: as to-"return said `icoupler-yby,grayity, to substantially the ,longitudinal *vf-.central planeA of the vcar orfn whatvisiknownfin the traden as coupling range when free.` toytdosofyani;` preferably also lto returnasaidfcouplerftoaitsi. normal position longitudinallyy of ethe; carzwhenf-free; to do so, which y--cornprises thegrgprincipalvpbj'ecte. of

' the invention.

.'Anotherzobject is tofprovide means toresiliently support the aforementioned Q-means.

A further object:ofthe-invention, is tty :associate the yresilientl means iwitlnsaid rollers;v and Vcooperative structure so as `to maintaimsaidrtparts.intop- V erativel relationship .during--.-senvice, movements of the car. I

VIn the drawings: f Figure 1 is a vfront;.elem-tion?.1o-f agrailwayf car rv sstriking casting `showing-lily-improved device;` ap- 'plied thereto. f

f zA ture 7wherein- AFigure 4 is a view similar toFigure l.

f Figure 5 is'a section-Lonflineb--fiofligune 4. @Figure 6 is ai-planfviewoff3igure 4.

Figure "lav is adiagrammatici view showing -the roller carrier, rollers and Iraneyinitzexzltelechposition.

Figure 8 is similar to Figure 'l showing the relation of the aparts :.whenthenrcarrier has been ,-movedlaterally.

' Figure 9 is a view similarfftaFigure lf, partly in sectionof a further, modicationothe device.

Figure 10 is'asection online `IlY-"III of Figure 9. In the drawings the'fcoupler striker. is shown at AI zand.compriseseithercanfintegral);'casting or onef built up of welded parts smas to surround the coupler: shank 2..-.Striker :tI-i isfzsubstantiallyfrecf tangular in form .andtcompcsed of twolikerspaced "plates havingalignedopenings'i therein 'fl-iiciughrY zwhichxl-the ..car.,.co.upler` projects andzis'flongi- (Cl...2.13f...61) v laterally: with ;fthe)coupler;said;Y carrier.alsoxr hav- Lzeiine Spa-ced'fcylindrcal couplemengaeingsurfaces 8 8 adjacent the shoulders 'l and. anconcave Nf,.surfaoefil therebetween. 5 whegracegfllz; is;:preferablyeresiliently supported by the double .Sfshanedispringsl3:;onothem reilierlt means'i .Thisvfraeeisprovidedfzwith a; sub- ;tantially;.concaved; rollemengagingasurface 114-; at achzenclf of f'whichf. surface .themac'e is.; provided th ,anyrupstandingntrackzEi lieto: provideomeans orrollablyiupportsaidfrolleracarrier;shouldvthe lhereinafteri described izerollersi A:becomeffflost .1. or

broken.' zInterposed-ebetweenf; saidtf rollen. :engagingnsur- 'faces ofssaidacarnier and-z: rac'eithere is-.provided meneur zmorerrollerstl; to reliably-'support 'saidccarien` zuponzisaidv .fracas-.f 1t millubemotedi:-.thatrrthe of the. rollemcarrier .6.; isadisposednatfright angles-to;V thezfaxisfof: fthe supporting rollers-.f I6 20. omthati;duringxlongitudinai movement.: ofxzthe ou-plejr :theerollerecarrier Iixconstitutes. ae rolling upportrfor' :fthe: coupler; upon zthenrollersifr I Szaand iiduringxlateralfmovement ofrsaideoupler the :rollers l5 provide a rolling:support'fforithefcarrierrupon rsthe:;aface.;=i:Furthermore itwillabeonotedsfthat in ong-itudinal-fsectiornligurew 23,1 thefrclleraengag- Ile'isulzfaceifl ioff'f-bhet-racef: I2' isizconcavaenllhus ,.wheng thevcpupler 4oyes-.1;flate'rally:1 itzcauseszfthe v arrien Sfftozxmove laterally'fandroll .uponerthe eorrollersvl eandilrolltthe leadingirollenup thelincline at one end of thewoncave: rollerirengaging `:surface I4 of the race, and roll the following roller l;.ff.-.down;=.the Linclinegat the` other; end ofifthe aconcave oilerrengaging;fsnriacefsy I liofuthegrace. itTheiopa5 `osed concavefinportion off.theerolleracarrier 6 "cQmpensates fforfrtheiiiiferenceinfelevation offfthe n wo rollersjas bothwrollfsaxthatthezzcoupler Zaand :.1 carrier` roller :Il:aresalwaysrmaintained inysubstan- Aretialiy '.horizontalyposition:if:(See Figures .'lfandf'.) 40 f HoweYenfthez-leading: roller; rolls .up-fl ns1-.inclined f .surfacefmore l'than' the: following :rollertrolls down ts -i-nclinedsurfaceg`- :thus depressing the resilient .Bansl'- butf'whenthez coupleris Vuncouplediwhile imfsaid f aterally rrnovedr:epositionf:` :the -resilient v l:will::immediatelxwraiseritliefcouplerand arriem therebyf causing-.thea carrierato. return imnormalrenositiom. (anzithinwconlzvling A:ra-nge )lo by gravity, as it is then free to do so.

While the device is shown and described as provided with two rollers I6, substantially the same results would be accomplished were but one roller used. However, I prefer to use two rollers to increase the bearing area between the roller and cooperating parts, and also to stabilize the 'Il coupler.

roller carrier 6 which iny turn rolls upon the i concave surface 2| of the rller`20, thereby cornfi be xed to a car; said means comprising a roller coupler carrier provided with means to cause the carrier to move laterallywith a coupler when supporting said coupler, said carrier having a cylindrical coupler engaging surface and a roller engaging surface, a race having a roller engaging si'irfaca;hg and fia rollen; interposed between said f' roller engaging surfaces' on an axis at right angles surfaces beingsubstantially concave to cause the I: carrier.` to return to centered position by gravity pressing the resilient means I3, and, if un` coupled, while so moved longitudinally,` said `re' silient means will immediately raise the rollers 20;

carrier roller 6 and coupler! so that'said'carrier roller will tend to roll back to normalposition.

by gravity.

The roller engagingsurface of the race is ypref# erably convex in cross section, as shown in Figure 6, to conform-tov thecontour of the roller, thus increasing the bearing area between the roller and the race'.

It is understood that'both lateral and longitudinal movements of the coupler and carrier may take place simultaneously.

In the modification shown in Figures 9 and 10,

`the coupler. 2`rests upon a roller carrier 30 of uniform diameter, which inr-turn rolls upon an upper race 3|, the lower surface of which is provided With a pair of concave raceways 32 and 33.

The lower race is shown at 34 and rests upon the resilient -means 35 (shown in this instance as a rubber block) and the upper surface of said lower racey 34 isprovided with asimilar pair of raceways 3G and 31, and between each of the opposite racewaysrisv mounted a roller 38.! The only difference betweenv this .modification and that previously described is that the roller carrier is of cylindrical form, that the upper racev is provided,v and the opposedsfaces ofthe two races 3l and 34 areprovided with ya pair of raceways.V Other- Vwise,the functioning of this modification is similar to that previously described. y 1 The vaccompanying drawings illustrate rthe preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of .construction shown and described, as it is obvious'that various vmodifications thereof, within'thesc'ope of the claims, will occur 'cave surface, and a roller disposed on an axis at right angles tothe axis of said roller carrier,` and engaging said concave surface and rollably supporting said carrier formovement laterally'of the car, whereby said carrier is caused to return to centered positionby gravity when free todo so.l

2. Means to support. and position a railway car coupler carrierupon a member adapted to to the axis of said roller carrier to support said carrier upon said race, one of said roller engaging ,when free to do so.

3. Means tosupport and position a railway car l-KS coupler upon an'iember adapted to be fixed to a carj said means 'comprising a roller coupler car- ..;rier;v to directly .engage a coupler and provided with n means to cause said roller carrier to move laterally with a coupler when supporting said coupler,

said roller` carrier having a cylindrical coupler engagingsurface and aroller engaging surface, a

"race'jlhavinga' substantially concave roller en- -gagingsurfa'ce anda roller interposed between '-saidroller engagingk surfaces on an axis at right angles to the axis of said roller carrier to support `l`said"carrier yupon said race' and to cause the carrier to"returnfto centered whenfreefto do/Saz;-

position by `gravity 4;'-A"structuresubstantially as set forth in claim '2 andf resilient means adapted to support f said lrace upon a'fixed par-t of the car.

5. A structure substantially as set forth in .v claim1-3 wherein saidI race is provided with an y emergency track vtoprovide means to rollably suptport said roller ycoupler carrier. r "26; A structurel 'substantially as set forth in vclairni?, whereinsaid-'roller -is `of concave form so asito lcause the vcarrier-'to vreturn to centered longitudinal position when free to do so.

7. A structure substantially as set forth in claimS/iwherei-ns'aid roller is lofrconcave form sordas -to-cause4 the-carrier torreturn 'to centered longitudinal position when free todo so and said rollerrengagii-ig surface of VVthe Yrace isf convexA normalto saidconcave lsurface thereof to conform to 8. A structure substantially as set forth.'i in claim '3. whereinisaid roller isvof concave form so -as to' causey said fcarrier to return to centered longitudinal position'fwhenfree to do so, and resilient .-:rrneansl are providedfto support said race upon a .f `fixedpart-of the car. f"

KURT E. ZEIDLER.

The following references are of record in the 'een mammina UNITED, sTTEs eA'mi-.Nrs

f. ANaim-r Date Mur.phy. Apr. 11, 1916 .Hammond Dec. 2, 1919 INystrom` Dec. 26, 1922 Muchnc NOV. 8, Gilpin -Aug. 22, 1933 vStridV Oct. 20, 1936 

